Manufacture of railway draft-gear yokes



H. T. ANDERSON. MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY DRAFT GEAR YGKES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, "ISLE- Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

, 2 SHEETSSHEEI 1- H. TfANDERSON.

MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY DRAFT GEAR YOKES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 7. 1918.

1,328,975. Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ITEI) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY '1. ANDERSON, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASbIGNOR IO HARRY VISSERING& COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MANUFACTURE OF RAILW'AY DRAFT-GEAR. YOKE-S.

Application filed May 7, 1918.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IIARRY T. ANDERSON,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Butler, in the countyof Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in the Manufacture of Railway Draft-Gear Yokes, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to the manufacture of railway draft-gear yokes andone of its Objects is to provide an improved method of forming yokes soas to avoid waste of metal.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method offorming draftgear yokes in which the side-members have openingsthereinto receive the buffer plates and shock-absorbing devices, of the typeexemplfied in an application filed by me Feb. 26, 1916, Serial No.80,615.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter setforth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective of a blank of metal used informing the draft-gear yo re. showing the form into which the blank isout before it is formed into a yoke. Fig. 3 is a plan of the blank shownin Fig. 2 after it has been bent to accommodate bending dies. Fig. l isa detail section showing the operation of separating the bars of theblank. Fig. 5 is a perspmtive showing the blank after the upper andlower bars of the blank have been spread apart. Fig. 6 is a perspectiveof the blank after it has been doubled and bent, and completed into ayoke with a columnar member at the back and the inserts for the frontends of the yoke-sides. Fig. 7 is a perspective of one of the frontinserts. Fig. 8 is a perspective of the columnar insert. Fig. 9 is aplan, parts being shown in section, of a complete draftgear embodyingthe yoke made in accordance with the improved method.

A bar or strip of suitable metal, such as steel or wrought iron, of theshape shown in Fig. 1, is cut of sufficient length for a blank adaptedto form continuously two integral sides of a yoke. The ends of the blank15 are-trimmed or rounded, as at 16, and openings 18 are cut through theblank adjacent its ends. A longitudinal slot 17 is Specification ofLetters Patent.

Fig. 2 is a perspective- Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

Serial No. 232,997.

cut through the blank and the latter is also slit, as at 19, between theopenings 18 and the slot 17. The metal adjacent the ends f the blank maybe swaged or upset, as at 20, to form a reinforcement which will bedisposed at the front of the key-slots when the yoke is completed, asshown in Fig. 6. As a result of this cutting, the blank will comprise anupper bar 21 and a lower bar 22 which are integrally connected at theends 23 of the blank. These bars are bent out of alinement, as shown inFig. 3, to provide mutual clearance for oppositely moving spreading-diesa and b, which are adapted to engage the inner edges of the bars 21 and22 respectively, as shown in Fig. 4. These dies are operated to spreadthe pertions of the blank into the form shown in Fig. 5. After thisspreading operation, the upper and lower bars will be forced back intovertical alinement. When the blank has been thus shaped, it willcomprise upper and lower longitudinal bars, ends 23 and outwardlyconvergent portions 2 1 which integrally connect said bars and ends.

Next, tapered struts 25, which are shaped to fit into and fill the spacebetween the converging portions 24 and have slots 26 adapted to registerwith the openings 18, are inserted between said convergent portions andare secured in the blank by rivets 27. These slots 26, with the openings18, are adapted to form key-slots in the sides of the yoke.

Next, the flat blank with the inserts therein is doubled over and bentfrom its center to form alined yoke-sides and to bring the key-slots andfront ends of the blank into transverse alinement, as shown in Fig. 6. Amember 28 adapted to extend between the upper and lower bars, at thebend in the yoke, is then secured in position shown, by lugs 29, whichare bent into position, shown by dotted lines in Fig. 8, to lock themember in the yoke. This member 28 forms a columnar connection betweenbars 21 and 22, and serves as a thrust block for the rear followerplate. The openings 30 left in the sides of the yoke, when the bars 21and 22 are spread, are of sufficient height and length to receive andretain therebetween follower plates and draft-gear and to permitmovement of the yoke relatively to the follower plates.

The product of the method is applied in Cir 9 to a draft riggingcomprising drait' beams 31, a coupler having a shank which is secured tothe yoke by a key which extends through the shank, the openings 18 inboth sides of the yoke and through slots in the draft-beams, a frontbuffer plate 34 adapted to engage front stops 35, a rear bufier plate 36adapted to engage the rear stops 3? and a draft-gear 38 of any suitabletype, between the plates.

The invention exemplifies a method of forming draft gear-yokes, in whichportions of a bar are expanded or spread to form openings and by whichthe waste of metal incident to forming large openings by cutouts isavoided. Also one in which substantially all of the metal is utilized inthe for mation of a forged one-piece yoke.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details setforth, since these may be modified within the scope of the ap pendedclaims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. That improvement in the manufacture of railway draft gear yokes whichconsists in cutting a blank of metal longitudinally leaving the endsconnected, spreading the longitudinal portions apart to form an openingbetween them and doubling and bending the blank to form a one-piece yokehaving a pair of sides with openings therein.

2. That improvement in making railway draft-gear yokes which consists incutting a bar of metal longitudinally adjacent its ends and leaving theends uncut, and spreading apart the portions adjacent the out to formspaced substantially parallel bars and converging portions connectingthe ends and said bars.

3. That improvement in making railway draft-gear yokes which consists incutting a bar of metal longitudinally adjacent its ends and leaving theends uncut, spreading apart the portions adjacent the cut to form spacedsubstantially parallel bars and converging portions connecting the endsand said bars, and doubling and bending the blank transversely to bringits ends into transverse alinement, to form a one-piece yoke having aplurality of open sides therein.

4. That improvement in making railway draft gear yokes which consists incutting openings adjacent the ends of a blank, cutting the blanklongitudinally between said openings, leaving the ends connected,spreading the portions apart adjacent the cut, and doubling and bendingthe blank to bring said openings into transverse alinement.

5. That improvement in the manufacture of railway draft-gear yokes whichconsists in cutting a blank of metal longitudinally leaving an end ofthe metal connected, spreading the longitudinal portions apart to forman opening between them, and securing an insert in said opening adjacentsaid end.

(3. That improvement in the manufacture of railway draft-gear yokeswhich consists in cutting a blank of metal longitudinally leaving theends connected, spreading the longitudinal portions apart to form anopening between them, and securing inserts in the ends of the opening,and doubling and bending the blank to form a yoke having integral sideseach having an opening thereln.

7. That improvement in the manufacture of railway draft-gear yokes whichconsists in cutting a blank of metal longitudinally leaving the endsconnected, spreading the longitudinal portions apart to form an openingbetween them, securing inserts in the ends of said opening, securing acolumnar member 'medially to the blank and doubling and bending theblank to form integral sides.

HARRY T. ANDERSON.

